JP6098495B2 - Opening / closing device and image recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an opening / closing device in which a main body and a rotating body are connected, and the rotating body rotates with respect to the main body, and an image recording apparatus including the opening / closing device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an opening / closing device in which a main body and a rotating body are connected and the rotating body rotates with respect to the main body is known. As an apparatus provided with such an opening / closing device, there is an image recording device for recording an image on a recording medium such as a recording sheet. In the image recording apparatus, the rotating body is supported by the main body at the upper part of the main body. When the recording paper is jammed in the apparatus, the user or a repairer can rotate the rotating body in a direction to expose (open) the upper part of the main body and take out the recording paper in the main body.

  In the image recording apparatus as described above, when the user or a repairer's hand or the like is positioned between the main body and the rotating body, the hand rotates when the rotating body rotates in a direction (close direction) covering the upper part of the main body. There is also a risk of injury from being sandwiched between the rotating body and the main body. In order to solve such problems, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose an image recording apparatus including a rotary oil damper on the main body side. In the image recording apparatuses disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when the rotating body is rotated in the closing direction with respect to the main body, a load is applied to the rotating body by an oil damper. Therefore, the rotating body rotates slowly. Thereby, a possibility that a user's or a repairer's hand etc. will be pinched between a rotating body and a main part can be made low. Further, even if the user's or repairer's hand is sandwiched between the rotating body and the main body, the damage received by the hand is reduced, and the possibility of injury to the hand is reduced.

JP-A-6-350266 JP 2007-306155 A

  However, in the image recording apparatuses disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the oil damper is provided in the main body as described above. For this reason, the sect gear and the sun gear for engaging with the oil damper in the main body are provided on the rotating body side. As a result, when the rotating body is closed with respect to the main body, it is necessary to provide a space for accommodating such a sect gear and a sun gear in the main body. That is, the main body of the image recording apparatus requires both a space for accommodating the oil damper and a space for accommodating the sect gear and the sun gear. This increases the size of the image recording apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an opening / closing device capable of suppressing an increase in size while including a rotation damper for applying a load to the rotation of the rotating body, and the opening / closing device. The object is to provide an image recording apparatus provided.

(1) The opening / closing device of the present invention has the largest amount of rotation when rotating with respect to the main body, the rotation base end including the rotation center when rotating with respect to the main body, and the rotation with respect to the main body. A rotating body that has a rotating tip and rotates between the closed position that covers the upper portion of the main body and an open position that opens the upper portion of the main body, and the rotating body. A rack member having a rack gear extending along a radial direction from the pivot base end toward the pivot tip, one end connected to the main body, and the other end connected to the rack member. And an arm body whose other end slides relative to the rack member. The arm body includes a housing, a rotary damper that is supported by the housing and receives a braking force from a viscous fluid, and a gear portion that is supported by the housing and transmits the braking force of the braking gear to the rack gear. .

  According to this structure, since the gear part and the rotation damper are accommodated in the arm body, the accommodation space in the main body of the gear part and the rotation damper and the accommodation space in the main body of the arm body can be made common.

(2) The gear portion cancels transmission of a braking force from the braking gear to the rack gear when the rotating body rotates from the closed position toward the open position, and the rotating body is opened. A transmission switching unit is provided that transmits a braking force from the braking gear to the rack gear when rotating from a position toward the closed position.

  According to this configuration, in the process in which the rotating body rotates from the open position to the closed position, the braking force is transmitted from the braking gear to the rack gear by the transmission switching unit. Thereby, the load by a rotation damper is applied to the rotating body to rotate. As a result, the rotation speed of the rotating body can be reduced when the rotating body rotates from the open position to the closed position. On the other hand, in the process in which the rotating body rotates from the closed position to the open position, transmission of the braking force from the braking gear to the rack gear is released by the transmission switching unit. Thereby, the load by a rotation damper is not applied to the rotating body to rotate. As a result, the rotating body can be smoothly rotated from the closed position to the open position.

(3) The gear portion includes at least a sliding gear that meshes with the rack gear, and a planetary gear. The transmission switching unit is the planetary gear. The planetary gear is in a meshing position that meshes with an adjacent gear when the rotating body rotates from the open position toward the closed position, and the rotating body rotates from the closed position toward the open position. When moving, it is in a spaced position away from adjacent gears.

  According to this configuration, the function of the transmission switching unit can be realized by a simple configuration called a planetary gear.

(4) The housing of the arm body has an opening on the other end side. The rotating shaft of the sliding gear protrudes from the opening of the housing. The rack member further includes an elongated hole extending in a direction parallel to a direction in which the rack gear extends. When the rotating body rotates from the open position toward the closed position, the rotation shaft of the sliding gear slides in the long hole in the radial direction. When the rotating body rotates from the closed position toward the open position, the rotation shaft of the sliding gear slides in the elongated hole in the direction opposite to the radial direction.

  According to this configuration, when the rotating body rotates to the closed position, the other end of the arm body slides in the radial direction with respect to the rotating body. Thereby, the other end part of an arm body becomes far from the rotation base end part of a rotation body. As a result, when the rotating body rotates to the closed position, the load received from the rotating body on which the other end of the arm body rotates can be reduced. Therefore, the possibility of breakage of the rotating body can be reduced.

(5) The gear portion includes a multi-stage gear that is arranged side by side in the thrust direction, and rotates integrally with each other and includes a plurality of gears having different radii.

  According to this configuration, a gear having a small diameter among a plurality of gears constituting the multistage gear is engaged with a gear on the rack gear side, and a gear having a large diameter among the plurality of gears constituting the multistage gear is a gear on the brake gear side. By arranging the multi-stage gear in a state engaged with the braking gear, it is possible to reduce the tangential force per unit torque from the gear meshing with the braking gear to the braking gear. As a result, it is possible to reduce breakage of the braking gear due to excessive force applied to the braking gear having a small diameter. That is, a small rotary damper having a braking gear with a small diameter can be used. That is, the rotary damper accommodated in the arm body can be reduced in size. Therefore, the arm body can be reduced in size.

  Further, according to this configuration, since the multistage gear is arranged in the above-described state, the tangential speed of the gear meshing with the braking gear can be increased, so that the braking gear rotates at a high speed. Thereby, the braking force from a viscous fluid can be generated appropriately. That is, the rotary damper can be operated appropriately.

(6) The braking gear meshes with a gear supported on the most end side of the housing of the arm body.

  According to this configuration, the rotation damper larger than the gear configuring the gear portion is arranged on the one end portion side of the arm body. Therefore, the other end part side of the arm body can be made smaller than the one end part side. Here, one end portion side of the arm body is a rotation base end side of the arm body, and the other end portion side of the arm body is a rotation distal end side of the arm body. That is, in this configuration, it is possible to suppress an increase in the space required for the rotation of the arm body by reducing the rotation front end side that requires a larger space than the rotation base end side for the rotation of the arm body. .

(7) The rotating body includes a recess on the main body side. The rack member is provided in the recess.

  According to this configuration, since the rack gear is provided in the concave portion, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the rack gear comes into contact with the user's hand or a repairer's hand.

(8) The opening / closing device of the present invention is provided in the open engagement portion provided on the other end portion side of the housing of the arm body and the rack member, and the rotating body is in the open engagement in the open position. An open engagement portion that engages with the portion. One of the open engagement part or the open engagement part can be elastically deformed in a direction in which the engagement with the other of the open engagement part or the open engagement part is released.

  According to this configuration, the rotating body can be maintained in the open position by engaging the open engagement portion and the open engagement portion.

(9) The opening / closing device of the present invention is provided with a closed engagement portion provided on the opposite side of the main body of the housing of the arm body and the rack member, and the rotating body is closed when the rotary body is in the closed position. A closed engagement portion that engages with the portion. One of the closed engagement portion or the closed engagement portion can be elastically deformed in a direction in which the engagement with the other of the closed engagement portion or the closed engagement portion is released.

  According to this configuration, when the closed engagement portion engages with the closed engagement portion in the process in which the rotation body rotates from the open position toward the closed position, A load is applied due to elastic deformation of the closed engagement portion. Thereby, when the rotating body rotates from the open position to the closed position, the rotating speed of the rotating body can be lowered.

(10) The present invention can also be understood as an image recording apparatus that includes the opening / closing device and a recording unit that is provided in the main body and records an image on a recording medium.

  According to the present invention, since the accommodation space in the main body of the gear part and the rotary damper and the accommodation space in the main body of the arm body can be made common, an increase in the size of the switchgear can be suppressed.

1A and 1B are external perspective views of the multifunction machine 10, in which FIG. 1A shows a state where the scanner housing 51 is in a closed position, and FIG. 1B shows a state where the scanner housing 51 is in an open position. Has been. 2A and 2B are front views of the multifunction machine 10, in which FIG. 2A shows the scanner housing 51 in the closed position, and FIG. 2B shows the scanner housing 51 in the open position. ing. 3A and 3B are left side views of the multifunction machine 10, in which FIG. 3A shows a state where the scanner housing 51 is in the closed position, and FIG. 3B shows a state where the scanner housing 51 is in the open position. Has been. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer unit 12. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing the rack member 70 and the arm body 80 when the scanner housing 51 is in the closed position. FIG. 5A shows a left side view and FIG. 5B shows a front view. (C) is a sectional view taken along the line CC of (B). FIG. 6 is a left side view showing the rack member 70 and the arm body 80 when the scanner housing 51 is in the open position. FIG. 7 is a view showing the rack member 70 and the arm body 80 at the start of rotation of the scanner housing 51 from the open position to the closed position. FIG. 7A shows a front view, and FIG. ) Is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of (A), and (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C of (A). FIG. 8 is a view showing the rack member 70 and the arm body 80 at the end of the rotation of the scanner housing 51 from the closed position to the open position. FIG. 8A shows a front view, and FIG. ) Is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of (A), and (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C of (A). FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2A when the scanner housing 51 is in the open position. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2 when the scanner housing 51 is between the open position and the closed position. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2 when the scanner housing 51 is in the closed position.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the embodiment of the present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention. In the following description, the vertical direction 7 is defined with reference to the state in which the multifunction machine 10 is installed (the state in FIG. 1), and the side where the opening 13 is provided is the front side (front side). A direction 8 is defined, and a left-right direction 9 is defined when the multifunction machine 10 is viewed from the front side (front).

[Overall configuration of MFP 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, a multifunction machine 10 which is an example of an image recording apparatus according to the present invention has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The multifunction machine 10 includes a scanner unit 11 that acquires an image data by reading an image recorded on a document such as a recording sheet by an image sensor (not shown). In addition, the multifunction machine 10 includes a printer unit 12 that records an image on a recording sheet 15 (see FIG. 4, an example of a recording medium of the present invention) accommodated in a feeding tray 20 at a lower part thereof.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the scanner unit 11 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped scanner casing 51 (an example of a rotating body of the present invention). The printer unit 12 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a printer casing 52 (an example of the main body of the present invention) in which an opening 13 is formed in the front.

  Inside the scanner housing 51, a platen glass (not shown) that supports the document, an image sensor that reads the document supported on the platen glass, and the like are arranged.

  The feed tray 20, the transport roller pair 63, the discharge roller pair 66, the recording unit 24, and the like shown in FIG. 4 are arranged inside the printer casing 52 shown in FIGS. The feeding tray 20 can be inserted into and removed from the printer housing 52 in the front-rear direction 8 from the opening 13. The feeding tray 20 accommodates and supports the recording paper 15. The conveyance roller pair 63 and the discharge roller pair 66 convey the recording paper 15 supported by the feeding tray 20 along the conveyance path 23. The recording unit 24 records an image on the recording paper 15 conveyed along the conveyance path 23 based on the image data read from the original by the scanner unit 11.

  The recording sheet 15 on which the image is recorded is conveyed toward the discharge tray 21 and is then discharged by the discharge roller pair 66 and supported on the discharge tray 21. Here, the discharge tray 21 in the multifunction machine 10 is supported by the feeding tray 20 and can be inserted into and removed from the printer housing 52 together with the feeding tray 20 from the opening 13.

  A feed roller 25 is disposed above the feed tray 20. The feeding roller 25 rotates when a driving force is transmitted from a feeding motor (not shown). The feeding roller 25 to which the driving force is transmitted feeds the recording paper 15 supported by the feeding tray 20 toward the conveyance path 23.

  The conveyance path 23 is a path that extends upward from the rear end portion of the feeding tray 20 and then extends forward to reach the discharge tray 21. A part of the conveyance path 23 is defined by the first guide member 31 and the second guide member 32 facing each other with a predetermined interval, and the recording unit 24 and the platen 42 facing each other with a predetermined interval. The recording paper 15 is transported along the transport path 23 in a transport direction 16 that is the direction indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG.

  A conveyance roller pair 63 including a conveyance roller 61 and a pinch roller 62 is provided upstream of the recording unit 24 in the conveyance direction 16. The pinch roller 62 is pressed against the roller surface of the transport roller 61 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a spring. A discharge roller pair 66 including a discharge roller 64 and a spur roller 65 is provided downstream of the recording unit 24 in the transport direction 16. The spur roller 65 is pressed against the roller surface of the discharge roller 64 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a spring.

  The transport roller 61 and the discharge roller 64 rotate when a driving force is transmitted from a transport motor (not shown). The conveying roller 61 and the discharge roller 64 to which the driving force is transmitted conveys the recording sheet 15 between the pinch roller 62 and the spur roller 65 in the conveying direction 16.

  The recording unit 24 is provided between the conveyance roller pair 63 and the discharge roller pair 66. A platen 42 capable of supporting the recording paper 15 conveyed along the conveyance path 23 is provided below the recording unit 24 and at a position facing the recording unit 24. The recording unit 24 includes a carriage 40 and a recording head 38. The carriage 40 is supported by two guide rails 56 and 57 arranged at an interval in the front-rear direction 8 so as to be capable of reciprocating in the left-right direction 9. The recording head 38 is mounted on the carriage 40. Ink is supplied from an ink cartridge (not shown) to the recording head 38. A nozzle 39 is formed on the lower surface of the recording head 38. When the carriage 40 moves in the left-right direction 9, the recording head 38 ejects ink droplets from the nozzles 39 toward the platen 42. As a result, an image is recorded on the recording paper 15 that is conveyed in the conveying direction 16 and supported by the platen 42.

  In the present embodiment, the recording unit 24 records an image on the recording paper 15 using a serial ink jet recording method, but may be a line head ink jet recording method, or may be an electrophotographic method or a thermal head. It may be a method.

[Overall configuration of switchgear]
The multifunction machine 10 includes the opening / closing device according to the present invention. The opening / closing device includes the scanner casing 51 and the printer casing 52 described above, and a rack member 70 and an arm body 80 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a protrusion 53 extending in the left-right direction 9 is formed on the upper rear portion of the printer housing 52. The protrusion 53 is inserted into a hole (not shown) provided in the convex portion 54 that protrudes downward from the rear portion 26 (an example of the rotation base end portion of the present invention) of the scanner housing 51. As a result, the scanner casing 51 can rotate with respect to the printer casing 52 with the protrusion 53 as the center of rotation. That is, the rear portion 26 of the scanner housing 51 includes a rotation center when the scanner housing 51 rotates with respect to the printer housing 52. The configuration that allows the scanner housing 51 to rotate with respect to the printer housing 52 is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, the scanner casing 51 may be configured to be rotatable with respect to the printer casing 52 by connecting the scanner casing 51 and the printer casing 52 with a hinge.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the scanner housing 51 is rotatable in the direction of the arrow 33 (see FIG. 3B). As a result, the scanner casing 51 has a closed position that covers the top of the printer casing 52 (the positions shown in FIGS. 1A, 2A, and 3A) and the printer casing 52. It rotates with respect to the printer casing 52 between the open positions (the positions shown in FIGS. 1B, 2B, and 3B) that open (expose) the upper portion. At this time, the amount of rotation of the front portion 27 of the scanner casing 51 is larger than that of other portions of the scanner casing 51.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, a recess 55 is formed at the left end of the lower surface 58 of the scanner housing 51. The recess 55 extends along a radial direction 28 (see FIG. 3B) from the rear portion 26 to the front portion 27 of the scanner housing 51.

[Rack member 70]
The rack member 70 is fixed to the scanner housing 51 while being fitted in the recess 55. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the rack member 70 extends downward from the upper plate 71 whose radial direction 28 is the longitudinal direction and both ends in the short direction of the upper plate 71. A pair of side plates 72.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, a rack gear 73 extending in the longitudinal direction of the upper plate 71 is provided on the inner surface 71 </ b> B of the upper plate 71. As shown in FIG. 7A, the rack gear 73 is provided in the central portion of the upper plate 71 in the short direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 5A, elongated holes 74 extending in a direction parallel to the direction in which the rack gear 73 extends are provided in the pair of side plates 72, respectively. Hereinafter, in the rack member 70, the side where the rack gear 73 and the long hole 74 are provided (the downstream side in the radial direction 28) is referred to as one end side. In the rack member 70, the side opposite to the one end side (the upstream side in the radial direction 28) is referred to as the other end side.

  When the rack member 70 is fitted into the recess 55, the outer surface 71 </ b> A of the upper plate 71 of the rack member 70 contacts and is fixed to the bottom surface of the recess 55. That is, the rack gear 73 provided on the inner surface 71 </ b> B of the rack member 70 is fixed inside the recess 55. In addition, in a state where the rack member 70 is fixed to the recess 55, the rack gear 73 extends along the radial direction 28. At this time, the rack member 70 is fitted into the recess 55 such that one end side is the front side of the multifunction machine 10.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, a leaf spring 75 (an example of an opening engagement portion of the present invention) is attached to the upper plate 71 of the rack member 70. The leaf spring 75 has a substantially tuning fork shape, and includes a base end portion 75A and two arm portions 75B extending from the base end portion 75A. As shown in FIG. 7A, the two arm portions 75 </ b> B of the leaf spring 75 are provided at both end portions in the short direction of the upper plate 71 on the inner surface 71 </ b> B of the upper plate 71. That is, the two upper portions 75 </ b> B of the leaf spring 75 are arranged so as to sandwich the rack gear 73.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the leaf spring 75 extends along the longitudinal direction of the upper plate 71, that is, along the radial direction 28. Most of the leaf spring 75 is in contact with the outer surface 71 </ b> A of the upper plate 71. That is, most of the base end portion 75A and a part of two arm portions 75B excluding a first inclined portion 76 and a second inclined portion 77 described later are in contact with the outer surface 71A. The remaining part of the leaf spring 75 that is not in contact with the outer surface 71 </ b> A is opened from the openings 71 </ b> C and 71 </ b> D provided in the upper plate 71 of the rack member 70 to the inside of the rack member 70 (the space between the pair of side plates 72. ). Of the leaf springs 75, the two arm portions 75 </ b> B entering the inside of the rack member 70 are inclined so as to be separated from the inner surface 71 </ b> B of the upper plate 71 at a position overlapping the rack gear 73 in the radial direction 28. A first inclined portion 76; and a second inclined portion 77 that is continuous with the first inclined portion 76 and is inclined from the boundary position with the first inclined portion 76 toward the inner surface 71B of the upper plate 71. Yes. The first inclined portion 76 and the second inclined portion 77 of the two arm portions 75 </ b> B can be elastically deformed by being pushed toward the upper plate 71. The inclination angle of the first inclined portion 76 with respect to the upper plate 71 is smaller than the inclination angle of the second inclined portion 77 with respect to the upper plate 71. In other words, the first inclined portion 76 is inclined more gently than the second inclined portion 77 with respect to the upper plate 71. The first inclined portion 76 engages with a protrusion 92 provided on an arm body 80 described later when the scanner housing 51 is in the open position.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, the actuator mechanism 78 (an example of the closed engagement portion of the present invention) is attached to the rack member 70. The actuator mechanism 78 includes a coil spring 67 attached to the other end side of the rack member 70 (on the side opposite to the one end side where the rack gear 73 is provided), and a contact piece 68 connected to the coil spring 67. Yes. One end of the coil spring 67 is attached to the upper plate 71 in a fixed state. A protrusion 69 provided on the contact piece 68 is inserted into the other end of the coil spring 67. A recess 79 is provided at a position opposite to the protrusion 69 in the contact piece 68. As described above, the actuator mechanism 78 can be elastically deformed by the expansion and contraction of the coil spring 67. Further, when the scanner housing 51 is in the closed position, the actuator mechanism 78 is engaged with the protrusion 93 by inserting a protrusion 93 provided on an arm body 80 described later into the recess 79.

[Overall configuration of arm body 80]
As shown in FIG. 9, one end 81 of the arm body 80 is connected to the printer housing 52. The other end 82 of the arm body 80 is connected to a rack member 70 that is fitted in the recess 55 of the scanner housing 51. As shown in FIG. 5, the arm body 80 includes a housing 83, a rotary damper 84 and a gear portion 85 supported by the housing 83.

[Housing 83]
As shown in FIG. 5, the housing 83 is a member that forms the outer shape of the arm body 80 and has an internal space 86. The housing 83 is formed, for example, by combining two members having a recess on one side with the recess facing each other. At this time, an internal space 86 is formed by the two concave portions facing each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the housing 83 includes a pair of parallel plates 87 that are parallel to the side plates 72 of the rack member 70, and a side plate 90 that connects the pair of parallel plates 87. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, a recess 89 is provided at one end 81 of the outer surface of the pair of parallel plates 87. A convex portion (not shown) provided at the upper end on the rear side of the printer housing 52 is inserted into the concave portion 89. Thereby, the arm body 80 is connected to the printer housing 52 so as to be rotatable about the one end 81.

  The other end 82 of the parallel plate 87 of the housing 83 is inserted between the pair of side plates 72 of the rack member 70. The other end portion 82 of the arm body 80 slides with respect to the rack member 70 when a gear shaft 43S of the gear 43 described later slides in a long hole 74 provided in the rack member 70.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, an opening 91 is provided on the other end 82 side of the side plate 90 of the housing 83. The internal space 86 of the arm body 80 is connected to the outside of the arm body 80 through the opening 91.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, a protrusion 92 (an example of an open engagement portion of the present invention) is provided on the other end portion 82 side of the side plate 90 of the housing 83. The protrusion 92 is provided at a position facing the upper plate 71 of the rack member 70. The protrusion 92 engages with the first inclined portion 76 of the leaf spring 75 when the scanner housing 51 is in the open position.

  As shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, a protrusion 93 (an example of a closed engagement portion of the present invention) is provided between one end 81 and the other end 82 of the side plate 90 of the housing 83. ing. The protrusion 93 is provided at a position facing the actuator mechanism 78. The protrusion 93 engages with the concave portion 79 of the contact piece 68 of the actuator mechanism 78 when the scanner housing 51 is in the closed position.

[Rotating damper 84]
As shown in FIG. 7, the rotary damper 84 is disposed in the internal space 86 of the housing 83. The rotary damper 84 is disposed in the housing 94 so as to be rotatable inside the housing 94 and protrudes to the outside of the housing 94. The rotary damper 84 is attached to the shaft body inside the housing 94. A rotor (not shown) that rotates by rotation and a braking gear 95 that is attached to the shaft body outside the housing 94 and rotates around the shaft body are provided. The housing 94 is filled with a viscous fluid. The viscous fluid is, for example, a liquid in which various fixed particles or magnetic particles are dispersed in a liquid such as silicon oil or an inorganic additive.

  The housing 94 has a mounting hole 96. The rotary damper 84 is supported by the housing 83 of the arm body 80 by inserting a screw 97 or the like into the mounting hole 96.

  When the shaft rotates and the rotor rotates, friction is generated between the rotor and the viscous fluid in the housing 94. As a result, the braking gear 95 attached to the shaft body receives a braking force for stopping the rotation of the shaft body.

  The braking gear 95 meshes with the gear 47 that is supported on the most end portion 81 side of the housing 83 of the arm body 80 among the gears 43 to 47 constituting the gear portion 85.

[Gear part 85]
The gear portion 85 shown in FIG. 5C transmits the braking force received by the braking gear 95 (see FIG. 7B) of the rotary damper 84 to the rack gear 73. The gear portion 85 is a gear train including five gears 43 to 47 meshed with each other. The five gears 43 to 47 are arranged in the internal space 86 of the housing 83 along the direction from the other end 82 to the one end 81.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 6, an opening 98 is provided in the other end portion 82 of the pair of parallel plates 87 of the housing 83. A gear shaft 43S (an example of the rotating shaft of the sliding gear of the present invention) protruding from the gear 43 (an example of the sliding gear of the present invention) protrudes to the outside of the housing 83 through the opening 98. Thus, the gear 43 is supported by the housing 83 of the arm body 80 so as to be rotatable about the gear shaft 43S. Further, the gear shaft 43 </ b> S of the gear 43 protruding to the outside of the housing 83 is inserted into a long hole 74 provided in the rack member 70. Thus, when the scanner housing 51 rotates in the direction of the arrow 33 (see FIG. 3B), the gear shaft 43S of the gear 43 slides in the elongated hole 74.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, three recesses (not shown) are provided on the inner surfaces of the pair of parallel plates 87 of the housing 83. Gear shafts 44S, 45S, and 46S protruding from the gears 44, 45, and 46 are inserted into the recesses. Thereby, each gear 44, 45, 46 is supported by the housing 83 of the arm body 80 so as to be rotatable around the gear shafts 44S, 45S, 46S.

  A groove 99 is provided on one end side of the inner surfaces of the pair of parallel plates 87 of the housing 83. A gear shaft 47 </ b> S protruding from the gear 47 is inserted into the groove 99. As a result, the gear 47 is supported by the housing 83 of the arm body 80 so as to be rotatable about the gear shaft 47 </ b> S and movable along the groove 99.

  The gear 43 is disposed on the most other end 82 side of the housing 83. A part of the gear 43 protrudes from the opening 91. A portion protruding from the opening 91 of the gear 43 meshes with the rack gear 73.

  The gear 44 is disposed closer to the one end 81 than the gear 43 in the housing 83. The gear 44 meshes with the gear 43. The gear 45 is disposed closer to the one end 81 than the gear 44 in the housing 83. The gear 45 meshes with the gear 44.

  The gear 46 is disposed closer to the one end 81 than the gear 45 in the housing 83. The gear 46 is a multistage gear. The gear 46 includes two gears 46A and 46B that are arranged side by side in the thrust direction and rotate integrally around the same gear shaft 46S. The gear 46A meshes with the gear 45. The gear 46B meshes with a gear 47A described later. The diameter of the gear 46A is smaller than that of the gear 46B. Further, the number of teeth of the gear 46A is smaller than that of the gear 46B. Thereby, the tangential speed of the gear 46B becomes faster than the tangential speed of the gear 46A. Here, the torques of the gear 46A and the gear 46B are the same. Further, the diameter of the gear 46B is larger than the diameter of the gear 46A. Therefore, the tangential force of the gear 46B with respect to the gear 47A is smaller than the tangential force when it is assumed that the gear 46A meshes with the gear 47A. The gear 46 may not be a multistage gear. That is, the gear 46 may have the same configuration as the gears 44 and 45.

  The gear 47 (an example of the transmission switching portion of the present invention) is disposed closer to the one end portion 81 than the gear 46 in the housing 83. As shown in FIG. 7C, the gear 47 is composed of two gears 47A and 47B that are arranged side by side in the thrust direction and rotate integrally around the same gear shaft 47S. That is, the gear 47 is a multi-stage gear like the gear 46. The gear 47A meshes with the gear 46B. The gear 47B can mesh with the braking gear 95. The diameter of the gear 47A is smaller than that of the gear 47B. Further, the gear 47A has fewer teeth than the gear 47B. Thereby, the tangential speed of the gear 47B becomes faster than the tangential speed of the gear 47A. Here, the torques of the gear 47A and the gear 47B are the same. The diameter of the gear 47B is larger than the diameter of the gear 47A. Therefore, the tangential force of the gear 47B with respect to the braking gear 95 is smaller than the tangential force when it is assumed that the gear 47A meshes with the braking gear 95. The gear 47 may not be a multistage gear. That is, the gear 47 may have the same configuration as the gears 44 and 45. That is, the gear portion 85 may not include a multistage gear.

  The gear shaft 47S of the gear 47 is movable along the groove 99. Here, the groove 99 extends along the circumferential direction of a circle centered on the gear shaft 46 </ b> S of the gear 46. In addition, one end of the groove 99 is further away from the rotary damper 84 than the other end. That is, the gear 47 moves closer to and away from the rotary damper 84 by the gear shaft 47S of the gear 47 moving along the groove 99.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, the gear 47A meshes with the gear 46B. Thus, the gear 47 rotates around the gear shaft 47S and revolves around the gear 46 while maintaining the meshing with the gear 46 as the gear 46 rotates. That is, the gear 47 is a planetary gear having the gear 46 as a sun gear.

  As shown in FIG. 5C and FIG. 7B, the gear 47B is configured such that the gear shaft 47S of the gear 47 is positioned on the other end side of the groove 99 (the side closer to the rotary damper 84). And meshes with the braking gear 95 (see FIG. 7B). The position of the gear 47 in the state shown in FIGS. 5C and 7B is the meshing position of the present invention. On the other hand, the gear 47B is separated from the braking gear 95 when the gear shaft 47S of the gear 47 is positioned on one end side (the side far from the rotary damper 84) of the groove 99 (see FIG. 8B). . The position of the gear 47 in the state shown in FIG. 8B is the separated position of the present invention.

  When the gear 47 is in the meshing position, the braking force received by the braking gear 95 from the rotary damper 84 is transmitted to the gear 47. Thus, the gear unit 85 transmits the braking force in the order of the braking gear 95 to the gear 47, the gear 46, the gear 45, the gear 44, the gear 43, and the rack gear 73. On the other hand, when the gear 47 is in the separated position, the braking force received by the braking gear 95 from the rotary damper 84 is not transmitted to the gear 47. That is, the gear unit 85 releases the transmission of the braking force from the braking gear 95 to the rack gear 73.

[Opening / Closing Operation of Scanner Housing 51 with respect to Printer Housing 52]
Hereinafter, an operation when the scanner casing 51 is closed with respect to the printer casing 52 will be described. That is, the operation when the scanner housing 51 rotates from the open position to the closed position will be described.

  When the scanner housing 51 is in the open position shown in FIG. 9, the gear shaft 43S of the gear 43 is located at the upstream end 28 in the radial direction 28 of the long hole 74 of the rack member 70, as shown in FIG. Yes. When the scanner housing 51 is in the open position, the protrusion 92 of the arm body 80 and the second inclined portion 77 of the leaf spring 75 are engaged as shown in FIG. 7B. Thereby, the scanner housing | casing 51 is maintaining the open position.

  When a force for rotating the scanner casing 51 from the open position to the closed position is applied, the second inclined portion 77 of the leaf spring 75 presses the protrusion 92. Thereby, the second inclined portion 77 receives a reaction force from the protrusion 92. Then, the second inclined portion 77 and the first inclined portion 76 move toward the upper plate 71 of the rack member 70. That is, the first inclined portion 76 and the second inclined portion 77 are elastically deformed. As a result, the engagement between the protrusion 92 and the second inclined portion 77 is released, and the scanner housing 51 can be moved from the open position to the closed position. As described above, the leaf spring 75 can be elastically deformed in the direction in which the engagement with the protrusion 92 is released.

  When the scanner housing 51 is rotated from the open position to the closed position in the direction of the arrow 34 (see FIG. 9), the gear shaft 43S of the gear 43 is moved in the long hole 74 in the moving radius as shown in FIG. Slide in direction 28. At this time, the gear 43 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 9 while sliding in the radial direction 28 with respect to the rack gear 73. In FIG. 9, when the gear 43 rotates counterclockwise, the gear 44 rotates clockwise, the gear 45 rotates counterclockwise, and the gear 46 rotates clockwise.

  In FIG. 9, when the gear 46 rotates clockwise, the gear 47 rotates counterclockwise while revolving around the gear shaft 46S of the gear 46 clockwise. In FIG. 9, when the gear 47 revolves clockwise, the gear shaft 47 </ b> S of the gear 47 moves along the groove 99 toward the rotary damper 84. As a result, the gear 47 moves to the meshing position shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C and meshes with the adjacent braking gear 95. Then, in FIG. 9, the braking gear 95 rotates clockwise by the counterclockwise rotation of the gear 47. Thus, the braking gear 95 receives a braking force due to friction generated between the rotor of the rotary damper 84 and the viscous fluid. The braking force is transmitted to the rack gear 73 via the braking gear 95 and the gear portion 85. That is, the gear portion 85 transmits a braking force from the braking gear 95 to the rack gear 73 when the scanner housing 51 rotates from the open position to the closed position. As a result, the scanner casing 51 receives a load from the rotary damper 84 when rotating in the direction of the arrow 34.

  When the scanner housing 51 reaches the position shown in FIG. 10 close to the closed position, the protrusion 93 contacts the inclined surface 49 of the contact piece 68 of the actuator mechanism 78 and pushes the contact piece 68. As a result, the contact piece 68 moves in the direction opposite to the radial direction 28 against the urging force of the coil spring 67. At this time, the protrusion 93 applies a force to the contact piece 68, while the protrusion 93 receives a reaction force from the contact piece 68. As a result, when the scanner housing 51 rotates in the direction of the arrow 34, it receives a load from the actuator mechanism 78 in addition to the load from the rotary damper 84 described above.

  When the scanner casing 51 is further rotated from the position shown in FIG. 10 in the direction of the arrow 34, the protrusion 93 fits into the recess 79 provided in the contact piece 68. As a result, the contact piece 68 is not pushed by the projection 93, and thus returns to the position before being pushed by the projection 93 by the biasing force of the coil spring 67. As a result, the protrusion 93 and the actuator mechanism 78 are engaged. At this time, the scanner housing 51 reaches the position shown in FIG. The scanner housing 51 in the state of FIG. 11 is in the closed position.

  Next, an operation when the scanner housing 51 is opened with respect to the printer housing 52 will be described. That is, the operation when the scanner housing 51 rotates from the closed position to the open position will be described.

  When the scanner housing 51 is in the closed position shown in FIG. 11, the gear shaft 43S of the gear 43 is located at the downstream end 28 in the radial direction 28 of the long hole 74 of the rack member 70, as shown in FIG. positioned.

  When a force for rotating the scanner housing 51 from the closed position to the open position is applied, the inclined surface 50 of the contact piece 68 of the actuator mechanism 78 pushes the protrusion 93 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the contact piece 68 receives a reaction force from the protrusion 93. Then, the contact piece 68 moves in the direction opposite to the radial direction 28 against the biasing force of the coil spring 67. That is, the actuator mechanism 78 is elastically deformed. As a result, the engagement between the protrusion 93 and the contact piece 68 is released, so that the scanner housing 51 can be moved from the closed position to the open position. As described above, the actuator mechanism 78 can be elastically deformed in the direction in which the engagement with the protrusion 93 is released.

  When the scanner housing 51 is rotated from the closed position to the open position in the direction of the arrow 35 (see FIG. 10), the gear shaft 43S of the gear 43 is inserted into the elongated hole 74 as shown in FIG. Is slid in the direction opposite to the radial direction 28. At this time, the gear 43 rotates clockwise in FIG. 11 while sliding in the radial direction 28 with respect to the rack gear 73. In FIG. 11, when the gear 43 rotates clockwise, the gear 44 rotates counterclockwise, the gear 45 rotates clockwise, and the gear 46 rotates counterclockwise.

  In FIG. 11, when the gear 46 rotates counterclockwise, the gear 47 rotates clockwise while revolving around the gear shaft 46S of the gear 46 counterclockwise. In FIG. 11, when the gear 47 revolves counterclockwise, the gear shaft 47 </ b> S of the gear 47 moves along the groove portion 99 in a direction away from the rotary damper 84. As a result, the gear 47 moves to the separation position shown in FIGS. 8B and 8C and is separated from the adjacent braking gear 95. Therefore, the braking gear 95 does not rotate even when the gear 47 rotates clockwise. Therefore, the braking gear 95 is not subjected to a braking force due to friction generated between the rotor of the rotary damper 84 and the viscous fluid. That is, the gear portion 85 releases the transmission of the braking force from the braking gear 95 to the rack gear 73 when the scanner housing 51 rotates from the closed position toward the open position. As a result, the scanner casing 51 does not receive a load from the rotary damper 84 when it rotates in the direction of the arrow 35.

  In the process in which the scanner housing 51 rotates in the direction of the arrow 35, the protrusion 92 moves along the leaf spring 75 while abutting the leaf spring 75. When the scanner housing 51 reaches a position close to the open position, the protrusion 92 (see FIG. 7B) pushes the first inclined portion 76 of the leaf spring 75. As a result, the first inclined portion 76 and the second inclined portion 77 move toward the upper plate 71 of the rack member 70. As a result, the protrusion 92 passes through the first inclined portion 76 and engages with the second inclined portion 77, and the scanner housing 51 reaches the open position.

[Effect of the embodiment]
According to the present embodiment, since the gear portion 85 and the rotary damper 84 are accommodated in the arm body 80, the accommodation space of the gear portion 85 and the rotary damper 84 in the printer housing 52 and the arm body 80 in the printer housing 52. The accommodation space can be shared. Therefore, the enlargement of the switchgear can be suppressed.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the braking force is transmitted from the braking gear 95 to the rack gear 73 by the transmission switching unit in the process in which the scanner housing 51 rotates from the open position to the closed position. As a result, a load is applied to the rotating scanner housing 51 by the rotary damper 84. As a result, the rotation speed of the scanner housing 51 can be reduced when the scanner housing 51 rotates from the open position to the closed position. On the other hand, in the process in which the scanner housing 51 rotates from the closed position to the open position, transmission of the braking force from the braking gear 95 to the rack gear 73 is released by the transmission switching unit. This prevents the rotating scanner casing 51 from being loaded by the rotary damper 84. As a result, the scanner housing 51 can be smoothly rotated from the closed position to the open position.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the function of the transmission switching unit can be realized by a simple configuration called a planetary gear.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the scanner housing 51 is rotated to the closed position, the other end portion 82 of the arm body 80 slides in the radial direction 28 with respect to the scanner housing 51. As a result, the other end portion 82 of the arm body 80 is distant from the rotation base end portion of the scanner housing 51. As a result, when the scanner casing 51 rotates to the closed position, the load received from the scanner casing 51 to which the other end 82 of the arm body 80 rotates can be reduced. Therefore, the possibility of damage to the scanner housing 51 can be reduced.

  According to this configuration, the gear 46A having a small diameter among the plurality of gears constituting the gear 46 is engaged with the gear 45 on the rack gear 73 side, and the gear 46B having a large diameter among the plurality of gears constituting the gear 46 is braked. By arranging the gear 46 in a state of being engaged with the gear 47 </ b> A on the gear 95 side, a tangential force per unit torque from the gear 47 </ b> B engaging with the braking gear 95 to the braking gear 95 can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce breakage of the brake gear 95 due to excessive force applied to the brake gear 95 having a small diameter. That is, a small rotary damper 84 having a braking gear 95 having a small diameter can be used. That is, the rotary damper 84 accommodated in the arm body 80 can be reduced in size. Therefore, the arm body 80 can be reduced in size. According to this configuration, the gear 47 is arranged in the same manner as the gear 46, so that the tangential force is further reduced.

  Further, according to this configuration, since the gears 46 and 47 are arranged in the above-described state, the tangential speed of the gear 47B meshing with the braking gear 95 can be increased. Rotate with. Thereby, the braking force from a viscous fluid can be generated appropriately. That is, the rotary damper 84 can be appropriately operated.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the rotary damper 84 that is larger in the left-right direction 9 than the gears 43 to 47 constituting the gear portion 85 is disposed on the one end portion 81 side of the arm body 80. Therefore, the other end portion 82 side of the arm body 80 can be made smaller than the one end portion 81 side. Here, the one end portion 81 side of the arm body 80 is the rotation base end side of the arm body 80, and the other end portion side of the arm body 80 is the rotation distal end side of the arm body 80. That is, in this embodiment, the space required for the rotation of the arm body 80 is increased by reducing the rotation distal end side that requires a larger space than the rotation base end side for the rotation of the arm body 80. Can be suppressed.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, since the rack gear 73 is provided in the recessed part 55, possibility that the rack gear 73 will contact a user, a repairer's hand, etc. can be made low.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the scanner casing 51 can be maintained in the open position by engaging the protrusion 92 and the leaf spring 75.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, when the projection 93 engages with the actuator mechanism 78 in the process in which the scanner casing 51 rotates from the open position to the closed position, the scanner casing 51 that rotates rotates with the actuator mechanism. A load due to the elastic deformation of 78 is applied. Thereby, when the scanner housing | casing 51 rotates from an open position to a closed position, the rotational speed of the scanner housing | casing 51 can be made low.

[Modification]
In the above-described embodiment, the leaf spring 75 is provided on the rack member 70 and the projection 92 is provided on the arm body 80. However, contrary to the above-described embodiment, the projection 92 is provided on the rack member 70 and the plate A spring 75 may be provided on the arm body 80.

  In the above-described embodiment, the actuator mechanism 78 is provided on the rack member 70 and the protrusion 93 is provided on the arm body 80. However, contrary to the above-described embodiment, the protrusion 93 is provided on the rack member 70. The actuator mechanism 78 may be provided on the arm body 80.

  The braking gear 95 may mesh with any gear other than the gear 47 supported on the most end portion 81 side of the housing 83 of the arm body 80, that is, any of the gears 43 to 46.

  Further, the number of gears constituting the gear portion 85 is not limited to five. For example, the gear portion 85 may be configured with only one gear. In this case, the one gear meshes with both the rack gear 73 and the braking gear 95.

  In the above-described embodiment, the gear 47 is a planetary gear, but any of the other gears 43 to 46 constituting the gear unit 85 may be a planetary gear. For example, the gear 45 may be a planetary gear having the gear 44 as a sun gear.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example of the transmission switching unit of the present invention is the gear 47 that is a planetary gear. However, the transmission switching unit of the present invention is not limited to the planetary gear. For example, any of the gears 43 to 47 constituting the gear unit 85 or the braking gear 95 of the rotary damper 84 may include a known one-way clutch mechanism. In this case, the gear provided with the one-way clutch mechanism transmits power to the meshing gear by rotation accompanying the rotation of the scanner housing 51 from the open position to the closed position, while the gear from the closed position of the scanner housing 51 is used. Power is not transmitted to the meshing gear by the rotation accompanying the rotation to the open position.

  Further, the opening / closing device may not include the transmission switching unit of the present invention. In this case, the scanner housing 51 receives a load from the rotary damper 84 in both cases of rotating from the open position to the closed position and rotating from the closed position to the open position.

  The opening / closing device may be provided in a device other than the multifunction machine 10. For example, the opening / closing device may be provided in a hood of an automobile.

26 ... rear part 27 ... front part 51 ... scanner housing 52 ... printer housing 73 ... rack gear 70 ... rack member 81 ... one end part 82 ... other end part 80 ... Arm body 83 ... Housing 84 ... Rotary damper 85 ... Gear part 97 ... Brake gear

Claims (10)

The body,
A rotation base end portion including a rotation center when rotating with respect to the main body, and a rotation tip portion having the largest amount of rotation when rotating with respect to the main body; A rotating body that rotates with respect to the main body between a closed position that covers and an open position that opens the upper portion of the main body,
A rack member having a rack gear provided on the rotating body and extending along a radial direction from the rotation base end toward the rotation tip;
One end is connected to the main body, the other end is connected to the rack member, and the other end is slid with respect to the rack member.
The arm body is
A housing;
A rotary damper having a braking gear supported by the housing and receiving a braking force from the viscous fluid;
And a gear unit that is supported by the housing and transmits a braking force of the braking gear to the rack gear.   The gear portion cancels transmission of a braking force from the braking gear to the rack gear when the rotating body rotates from the closed position toward the open position, and the rotating body is moved from the open position to the opening position. The opening / closing device according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission switching unit configured to transmit a braking force from the braking gear to the rack gear when rotating toward the closed position. The gear portion includes at least a sliding gear that meshes with the rack gear, and a planetary gear.
The transmission switching unit is the planetary gear;
The planetary gear is in a meshing position that meshes with an adjacent gear when the rotating body rotates from the open position toward the closed position, and the rotating body rotates from the closed position toward the open position. The switchgear according to claim 2, wherein the switchgear is in a separated position separated from an adjacent gear when moving. The housing of the arm body has an opening on the other end side,
The rotating shaft of the sliding gear protrudes from the opening of the housing,
The rack member further includes a long hole extending in a direction parallel to a direction in which the rack gear extends,
When the rotating body rotates from the open position toward the closed position, the rotary shaft of the sliding gear slides in the long hole in the radial direction,
The opening / closing device according to claim 3, wherein when the rotating body rotates from the closed position toward the open position, the rotation shaft of the sliding gear slides in the elongated hole in a direction opposite to the radial direction. .   The switchgear according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the gear portion includes a multistage gear that is arranged side by side in the thrust direction, rotates integrally, and includes a plurality of gears having different radii.   The switchgear according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the braking gear meshes with a gear supported on the most end side of the housing of the arm body. The rotating body includes a recess on the main body side,
The switchgear according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the rack member is provided in the recess. An open engagement portion provided on the other end side of the housing of the arm body;
An open engagement portion provided on the rack member, wherein the rotating body engages with the open engagement portion in the open position;
One of the open engagement part or the open engagement part is elastically deformable in a direction in which the engagement with the other of the open engagement part or the open engagement part is released. The switchgear according to any one of the above. A closed engagement portion provided on the opposite side of the main body of the housing of the arm body;
A closed engagement portion provided on the rack member, wherein the rotating body engages with the closed engagement portion in the closed position;
9. One of the closed engagement portion and the closed engagement portion can be elastically deformed in a direction in which the engagement with the other of the closed engagement portion or the closed engagement portion is released. The switchgear according to any one of the above. A switchgear according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
An image recording apparatus comprising: a recording unit that is provided in the main body and records an image on a recording medium.

Images